Presentation Skills

Good presentation skills can make or break your business so take the time to master this critical skill.

One of the most powerful skills used to attract more ideal clients into your funnel is public speaking. Whether you are speaking to an individual client or a group, good presentation skills will dramatically improve your ability to effectively deliver your message.

Presenting feeder workshops to groups in your niche market can give you major exposure. It can also help you better leverage your time and resources.

My financial advisory practice was built on speaking to groups in my niche market. As a past member of NSA (National Speakers Association) and Toastmasters, I have had years of training with world class speakers and been able to observe thousands of speakers. While a great presentation can propel your business further than most other strategies, a poor presentation can spell disaster. This is why it is critical that you develop good presentation skills.

To help you avoid big mistakes, improve your presentations, and increase your bottom line results, I have identified three critical presentation skills.

Um… ah… you know

One of the first insights you learn in speaker training is that most of us have crutch words that we use when we speak. Examples include a, and, um, ah, and you know to mention a few.

The first step to remove crutch words is to identify them. Begin by tape recording yourself when talking with others in person or on the telephone. Listen to the recordings and identify your crutch words.

A fun and effective way to stop using crutch words is to give a quarter to your kids or colleagues when they hear you use one. This will help you become more conscious of what you say, which will help you to remove or dramatically reduce your use of annoying or overused phrases and crutch words. Joining Toastmasters can also help you eliminate crutch words and become better at public speaking. If you qualify for membership in NSA, it can help you take your speaking to an entirely new level.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

Whether you are speaking to one person or a thousand, take time to prepare. When you listen to a presentation, it is obvious if the speaker has prepared or is ‘winging it.’ When an advisor or consultant doesn’t take the time to develop good presentation skills, the audience suffers. When you don’t prepare a top notch presentation, the result is lost prospects, connections, and ultimately sales.

The first step to prepare for your presentation is to intimately know your audience. We will cover this topic in more depth below. If possible, talk with attendees prior to the presentation to find out what they want. Find out their biggest personal and business challenges as well as what keeps them up at night. Once you know what your audience wants, outline your presentation and practice. Ideally tape record yourself and note any annoying gestures that may distract the audience. Ask a peer to review the recording and provide you feedback. Make a commitment to practice your presentation until you master it.

Know Your Audience

In a presentation I attended a few years ago, the speaker included profanity in his talk. While this may work for some audiences, I would not recommend profanity in your presentation unless you are certain your audience expects it. It was a disaster for the speaker. The first time he used the “F” word and got no laughs it should have been a clue that this approach was not working. The talk after his presentation was not on his content (which was actually really good) but about the inappropriateness of his language. One of the attendee’s comment said it all, “I can’t believe I flew half way around the world to listen to this guy’s foul mouth.” Knowing your audience will reduce this faux pas.

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About Annette Bau

Hi, I’m Annette Bau (bah hoo) also known as The Millionaire Insider. I am here to teach you the insight I discovered in my 30 years of working with the top one to two percent of millionaires, on how to create a financially free life you love.